March 27, 2018

A chieftain of the APC, Mr Kenneth Nnabuife, has expressed worry over the worsening youth unemployment in the country, describing the problem as a time bomb.

Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Tuesday, Nnabuife said that more than 70 per cent of the country’s youth population was unemployed.

Nnabuife, who is seeking a ticket of the APC to represent Ihiala Federal Constituency in next year’s general elections, said that his priority would be to tackle the unemployment crisis.

He said that he retired from the Customs Service in 2013, to join active politics to seek ways to improve the human condition of his people.

According to him, an encounter he had with hoodlums some years ago, compelled him to find a way to fight for the down-trodden.

“I was attacked and shot by youths in the course of doing my job and I found out that these youths were between the ages of 16 and 22.  They came with guns.

“When I asked one of them why he was an armed robber, he said it was as a result of joblessness.

“From that day, I took interest in matters relating to young people. If I find myself in a position where I can implement policies, my goal would be getting Nigerian youths employed.

He advised the Federal Government to formulate policies that would generate jobs to keep the teeming population engaged.

According to him, government should consider adopting “maximisation of economic quotation’’, whereby a segment of the country would be encouraged to do mass production of a product they can do better than others.

“What I mean is that for example in Benue State, they produce a lot of yams, to maximise the production of yam, they should concentrate on yam production.

“Also Ebonyi State is good at producing rice, if government gives them rice mills and farms in commercial quantities, these will help.

“Government should also try to encourage the populace to go into cooperatives and provide agricultural loans to them.

“We also have to advise government to create a level-playing ground for everybody, so that the best of every segment of the country can be exploited for the good of the entire country.